When I think of Memorial Day, I think of the patriotic history of our nation and the kick off of the summer barbecue season. I wanted to come up with a cupcake topper that tied these two ideas together, so I came up with these Red, White, and Blue, Berry Kabob Cupcakes. I thought they turned out really cute and they were definitely yummy! These make a quick and easy cupcake topper for any summer cookout or even for the 4th of July!

Ingredients

• cupcakes made from your favorite recipe or mix
• decorator icing in white
• pastry bag
• Wilton #1M decorator tip
• strawberries (cut into about ½-inch pieces)
• blueberries (whole)

• red raspberries (whole)
• blackberries or black raspberries (whole)
• toothpicks or lollipop sticks for kabobs
• sprinkles (optional)
• chocolate sauce (optional)

Instructions

1.
Bake the cupcakes according to the package or recipe directions.
2.
While your cupcakes are cooling, wash your berries thoroughly, and pat them dry gently with a paper towel.

3.
Spear one of each type of berry with a toothpick or lollipop stick, alternating blue and red berries to make a kabob. I found some really cute toothpicks at our local grocery with red and blue on the ends, but you can also use plain toothpicks. The kids will love helping with this; just make sure they are very careful when poking the toothpick through each berry. Make one kabob for each cupcake, and set aside.

Note: You can make the berry kabobs up to a day ahead of time; just store them in a single layer in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

4.
Decorate the cupcakes with your favorite decorator icing, a pastry bag, and a #1M decorating tip, or your favorite star decorating tip. The kids can help with this. Show them how to hold the bag and decorate the cupcakes by moving the pastry bag in a circular motion while squeezing the icing out gently from the outside of the cupcake to the center.

5.
Assemble the cupcakes by setting the berry kabobs lightly on top of the icing in the center of the cupcake.

6.
If you want an extra zing, add some kid friendly sprinkles, or a drizzle of chocolate sauce (or both) just before serving.

Tips

• You can make the berry kabobs up ahead of time, and assemble them onto the cupcakes in a few minutes before the party.
• Instead of icing, top your cupcakes with whip topping right before you're ready to serve them, and set the berry kabobs gently on top.

Notes

You'll need 1 of each berry and 1 toothpick for each Cupcake Kabob you make.